Archives for June 2023

Many find their way to the bin.

Some need to sit and bake a little longer.

Fewer still will become something coherent.

Only a few will be worth posting.

In every crisis, there’s a metaphorical dust that’s been stirred up in the glass.

The situation likely requires decisive action, but we often can’t see through the glass to make an informed decision.

Making an immediate move would be foolish, but waiting until all the dust is settled could result in an even worse outcome.

So as we stare at the swirling dust, and as the shapes begin to appear on the other side, we use our judgement to determine the right moment to pounce.

This metaphor is a helpful reminder that we should (1) refrain from knee jerk reactions, and (2) avoid being paralysed by indecision.

I just finished listening to an excellent BBC podcast called ‘Mother Neighbour Russian Spy’. Narrated by Oscar nominated Rosamund Pike, it details the true story of a set of Russian spies in the United States during the 2000s.

Bright university students were recruited from top Russian universities and were trained to pass as Americans. They assumed new identities, started families, embedded themselves in their communities, and tried to pass US secrets back to Russia. The lives of these spies inspired the series ‘The Americans’.

Pike is a great narrator and the quality of the storytelling and narrative is excellent. If you’re into a good spy story, this true story is definitely one to put on your playlist.

A lesson I’ve learnt over the years in product management—but one that I’ll continue to learn for years to come—is to avoid the trap of “technology in search of a problem”.

It’s easy to get excited about new technology and to then go in search of problem to solve with it. A good example is people have talked about Blockchain technology and smart contracts for years, but apart from cryptocurrency—which still has questionable real value in my opinion—very few genuine use cases have emerged that have been adopted at true scale.

On the other hand. ChatGPT—and
More broadly the use of Large Language Models—has been talked about endlessly for the past 6 months, and for good reason. It’s the fastest product in history to hit >100 million users because there is genuine value in using it to rapidly summarise and produce content.

Starting with the problem—one that is either hard, expensive, or tedious—and working from there as a base, is a more reliable way to explore building new products. Technology, tastefully applied to the right, real problem, is much more likely to create magic.

It’s easy to forget that when we create, we’re likely destroying a bunch of things along the way.

We make a mess with our mistakes. We ignore the rules, and make up new ones. We ask questions that make the old guard feel uncomfortable. We miss much more than we hit.

Although creativity gets praised for all it brings to the world, the journey there requires us to embrace some creative destruction.

Although we live in the UK, Maru and I have never participated in an English Pub Crawl.

However, Maru loves a good pastry, and because we’re in Paris for her birthday, we decided to embark on a Parisian Pastry Procession.

We researched the best bakeries in the city, and spent the morning walking between them; munching our way through buttery, sweet treats at every stop.

We had no destination in mind. Today was all about the journey and discovering new culinary delights along the way.

Here’s a simple recipe to ensure you always get a good meal whilst travelling.

Go to: Google Maps

Search: Restaurants, Cafe, or Ice Cream Shop

Filter by: Open now + Top rated

Only eat at places with >4.5 stars and >50 reviews.

I recently purchased a flight with Turkish Airlines using their ‘reserve a ticket’ feature.

For a nominal fee, passengers can hold seats on flights for a week or more.

I found this feature helpful whilst I was sorting travel plans with family for Christmas but need a few days to confirm everyone’s dates.

I wonder why more airlines don’t offer the service? It isn’t hard or complex to implement, and I assume the conversion rate is relatively high once someone has already put down a nominal deposit. I could also see a “lock in your price” being a great feature for price comparison websites too.

There is always a bit of Steve Jobs folklore floating about. One that I read a few years ago, but has always stuck with me, is the story of Job and the janitor.

I’m pasting it below as it’s a short read. It always makes me think about the importance of infusing responsibility and accountability as close as possible to the people doing the work.

Steve Jobs told employees a short story when they were promoted to vice president at Apple. Jobs would tell the VP that if the garbage in his office was not being emptied, Jobs would naturally demand an explanation from the janitor. “Well, the lock on the door was changed,’ the janitor could reasonably respond. “And I couldn’t get a key.”

The janitor’s response is reasonable. It’s an understandable excuse. The janitor can’t do his job without a key. As a janitor, he’s allowed to have excuses.

“When you’re the janitor, reasons matter,” Jobs told his newly-minted VPs. “Somewhere between the janitor and the CEO, reasons stop mattering.”

“In other words,’ (Jobs continued,) “when the employee becomes a vice president, he or she must vacate all excuses for failure. A vice president is responsible for any mistakes that happen, and it doesn’t matter what you say.”

A few days ago I came across a great clip that supposedly marked the moment Norway announced its switch to colour TV in 1972.

The scene, deliberately crafted for the reveal, has a man unsuccessfully attempting to cut a large ribbon. In the end, two men end up pulling the ribbon tug-of-war style until it breaks. And when it does, the screen flips to colour and the panels on the back wall that previously looked like all different shades of grey can now be seen as a wild array of colours.

I tried to do a little more research on the background behind this moment, but there seems to be scant information available online. Regardless, there’s no interesting insight or reflection today, just a unique and fun clip for you to check out!

A little more…

Patience.

Persistence.

Discipline.

Calm.

Perspective.

Empathy.

With just a little more, what’s possible?

Courage to begin.

Discipline to keep going.

Tony Fadell talks says “there’s always a crisis” in his book ‘Build’. It may be a company, career, or personal crisis, but the point is that there is always one happening.

This idea didn’t sit right with me. Sure, I get that a crisis can help increase focus, but I’m unconvinced that we need to live in a constant state of moving from one problem to the next. I think that diminishes the urgency when there is a legitimate crisis.

A simple example is we need periods of rest, sometimes extended periods, to give us the space and freedom to creatively explore what the future holds. We can’t do that work in a crisis.

The idea is only heresy until it’s proven right.

The classic start-up examples are Uber and Airbnb. The fact that my dictionary just auto-corrected both these names from uncapitalised to capitalised demonstrates how these brands have become mainstream parts of our culture. But, at one point, they were deemed crazy ideas.

The smartphone and geolocation enabled anyone to call a cab. Before Uber, taxi industries around the world were entrenched, expensive markets to play in. Now, anyone could be a driver if they wanted.

Hotels once had the monopoly on “where I stay when I’m away from home”. However, Airbnb provided an efficient and trusted marketplace to help people find vacant rooms, flats, and houses around the world.

20 years ago, no one would’ve thought these sprawling industries could be upended.

The idea is only heresy until it’s proven right.

Touch Rugby is a game built on honesty.

It’s a fast game, and because there is no crunching tackles like in its contact equivalent, the “touch” can often be difficult for the referee to see.

Players will often shout out “touch” to signal to both the referee and their team that they successfully caught a player on the opposing team.

I love how the game relies on honesty for it to work well. When people admit when they miss a touch it builds good will between teams and players.

However, the mood of a game quickly goes south when one team suspects the other team is stretching the truth, or in some cases, flat out lying. Teams turn to bickering with each other and complaining to the referee. It can sometimes feel like kids on a playground.

My team had one of those bickering-type games today. And it made me think about how not just touch teams, but how teams in the workplace are built on this kind of mutual trust. When everyone is honest, the collaboration and goodwill created is impressive. When there is a lack of trust, almost nothing can get done without a complaint.